JP2002331579A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing resin belt - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt which make it possible to simply finish, with high accuracy, the surface of the resin belt so that it is a desired smooth surface or the like, without causing any deviation in thickness and a peripheral length. SOLUTION: The thermoplastic resin belt 8 before completion is wound on the outer periphery of a hard inner tube 1. With the resin belt 8 heated, an elastic outer tube 4 provided on the outer periphery of the belt is contracted in the centripetal direction so that the inner surface thereof is pressed on the outer peripheral surface of the belt 8. The inner or outer surface of the resin belt 8 is molded to be a prosthesis of the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 1 or the inner surface of the outer tube 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt used as a paper transport belt, a transfer belt or an intermediate transfer belt used in a copying machine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A resin belt of this type is required to have a smooth surface. A conventional method for smoothing the surface of such a resin belt is disclosed in, for example,
As described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 000-71326, a thermoplastic resin sheet that is rolled into a cylindrical shape such that both ends are superimposed between a metal inner cylinder and an outer cylinder having different coefficients of thermal expansion. And put them in a heating furnace and heat them to soften the resin sheet, join the overlapped parts, make the thickness of the overlapped parts uniform with other parts, In some cases, the metal surfaces of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder are transferred to the surface of a sheet.

Further, a thermoplastic resin is extruded in a ring shape,
As a method for directly forming an endless belt, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-303871, the endless belt is housed substantially coaxially in a steel pipe, and a heat roller is pressed against the inner surface of the endless belt. In some cases, the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt is slightly melted by rotating the steel pipe, and the inner surface of the steel pipe is transferred to the outer peripheral surface.

[0004]

However, in the former, in order to utilize the difference in thermal expansion, the clearance between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder must be maintained with high precision. They must be concentric, which leads to high equipment costs and, due to repeated use, their accuracy is likely to be out of order. In addition, heating and cooling must be repeated for each operation, resulting in poor thermal efficiency and productivity.

In the latter case, the belt bends when the temperature rises, so that it is difficult to maintain the cylindrical shape, the shape retention is troublesome, and the belt expands when the belt is clamped between the heat roller and the steel pipe. And the circumference is likely to be out of order. In addition, it is difficult to design equipment for improving accuracy, and the structure tends to be complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has no problem in thickness and perimeter.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt in which the surface of the resin belt can be easily finished to a desired smooth surface or the like with high accuracy.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is solved as follows. (1) A thermoplastic resin belt before completion is wound around the outer periphery of the hard inner cylinder, and the elastic outer cylinder disposed on the outer periphery is shrunk in the centripetal direction while heating the resin belt. Let me
The inner surface of the outer cylinder is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the resin belt, and the inner or outer surface of the resin belt is formed so as to complement the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder or the inner surface of the outer cylinder.

(2) In the above item (1), an airtight chamber is formed outside the outer cylinder, and the outer cylinder is contracted in a centripetal direction by introducing a pressure fluid into the airtight chamber.

(3) In the above item (2), the outer cylinder is contracted in the centripetal direction by introducing steam into the airtight chamber, and the resin belt is heated by the heat of the steam via the outer cylinder.

(4) A thermoplastic resin belt before completion is inscribed on the inner surface of the hard outer cylinder, and while the resin belt is heated, the elastic inner cylinder disposed inside is radiated. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder is pressed against the inner surface of the resin belt, and the inner or outer surface of the resin belt is formed so as to complement the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder or the inner surface of the outer cylinder.

(5) In the above item (4), an airtight chamber is formed inside the inner cylinder, and a pressurized fluid is introduced into the airtight chamber to expand the outer cylinder in the radial direction.

(6) In the above item (5), by introducing steam into the airtight chamber, the inner cylinder is expanded in the radial direction, and the resin belt is heated by the heat of the steam via the inner cylinder.

(7) In the apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt,
An inner cylinder having a hard outer peripheral surface around which a thermoplastic resin belt is wound, and an inner tube provided on the inner surface of an annular hermetic chamber formed so as to surround the inner tube, and extending and contracting opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube. And a means for introducing a pressurized fluid into the airtight chamber.

(8) In the apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt,
An outer cylinder having a hard inner surface in which the thermoplastic resin belt is inscribed, and an outer cylinder surrounding the outer periphery of an airtight chamber formed at the center of the outer cylinder, and provided so as to face the inner surface of the outer cylinder. It is provided with an inner cylinder having elasticity and means for introducing a pressure fluid into the airtight chamber.

(9) In the above item (7) or (8), heating means for heating the resin belt is provided in at least one of the inner tube and the outer tube.

(10) In any one of the above items (7) to (9), the inner surface of the outer cylinder or the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder is a mirror surface.

(11) In any one of the above items (7) to (9), the inner surface of the outer cylinder or the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder is made to have minute unevenness.

[0018]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment (an embodiment of the present invention according to claims 7 and 10) of an apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt according to the present invention.

In the figure, (1) is a vertical metal inner cylinder whose outer peripheral surface is hard and has a smooth surface such as a mirror surface.
Heating means such as (all not shown) may be provided (the invention according to claim 9).

The inner cylinder (1) is positioned on a suitable support (not shown) and fixed detachably.

An annular airtight chamber (2) is formed on the support base so as to surround the inner cylinder (1). Airtight room (2)
Is a cylindrical outer peripheral wall (3a), a disc-shaped upper wall (3b) and a bottom wall (3c) extending in a centripetal direction from upper and lower ends thereof, and an upper wall (3
formed in a casing (3) consisting of a short hanging edge (3d) hanging from the inner end of b) and a short rising edge (3e) rising from the inner end of the bottom wall (3c); On the outer peripheral surface of the edge (3d) and the upright edge (3e), the upper and lower ends of an outer cylinder (4) made of an elastic material such as rubber and having a smooth inner surface are directed. It is fixed airtight.

At appropriate positions on the outer periphery and the bottom of the casing (3), pressure fluid introduction pipes each having an on-off valve (5) are provided.
(6) and the drain pipe (7) are connected.

Next, the operation of the method for manufacturing a resin belt according to the present invention (the method for implementing the invention according to claims 1 to 3), which is performed using the apparatus, will be described together with the operation of the apparatus.

First, the inner cylinder (1) is taken out of the support table,
A belt made of a thermoplastic resin (8) before completion is wound around the outer peripheral surface, and then returned to a fixed position on the support table.

The resin belt (8) is obtained by extruding a thermoplastic resin in a ring shape, cutting the tubular shape into a required length, and cutting the already endless one into a simple sheet shape before the endless connection. It may be something. Endless ones have an inner cylinder inside
(1) Insert the sheet,
What is necessary is just to mount | wear so that it may be wound around the outer peripheral surface of an inner cylinder (1).

Also, as described in JP-A-2000-71326, a sheet-like material is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder (1) so that both ends thereof are overlapped, and At the time of warm molding, the overlapped portion may be melted, the both ends may be joined to each other, and the overlapped portion may be pressed until the thickness of the overlapped portion becomes equal to the other portions.

The material of the resin belt (8) may be any material, for example, polycarbonate and other thermoplastic resins.

Next, the on-off valve (5) of the drain pipe (7) is closed,
In addition, by opening the on-off valve (5) of the introduction pipe (6), steam as a pressure fluid is introduced into the hermetic chamber (2), the pressure in the hermetic chamber (2) is increased, and the outer cylinder (4) is opened. As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 1, bulges inward (ie, contracts in the centripetal direction).

Then, the inner surface of the outer cylinder (4) is a resin belt.
The resin belt (8) is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder (1) and pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder (1), and heat of the steam is transmitted through the outer cylinder (4). And the resin belt (8) is heated.

The heating temperature of the resin belt (8) is preferably set slightly lower than the melting temperature of the resin belt (8). If the temperature cannot be reached only by steam heat, the inner cylinder (1) is heated. ) May be operated, or a pressure fluid higher than steam may be introduced into the hermetic chamber (2).

The above-mentioned resin sheet is melted at both end portions thereof and the both end portions thereof are joined to each other by heating at least only the overlap portion by a special heating means.
It is preferable to heat to the melting temperature of the resin.

By maintaining the above-mentioned pressurized and heated state for a required time, the inner surface of the resin belt (8) has the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder (1) and the resin belt (8) has the same surface shape. On the outside,
The inner surface shape of the outer cylinder (4) is respectively transferred and finished to a smooth surface.

When the inner or outer surface of the resin belt (8) is not to be smooth but to have an uneven surface such as a grain, for example, the outer peripheral surface or outer cylinder (4) of the inner cylinder (1) corresponding thereto is required.
The inner surface of the surface as an irregular surface that complements it
(The invention according to claim 11).

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment (embodiments of the invention according to claims 8 to 10) of the apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt of the present invention.

An inner cylinder (11) is made of a material having elasticity such as rubber and has a smooth outer peripheral surface and faces in the vertical direction. The upper and lower ends of the inner cylinder form an airtight chamber (12). It is held at the upper and lower ends of the casing (13).

The casing (13) has a disk-shaped bottom wall (13c) fixed to the upper and lower ends of a support cylinder (13a) made of a perforated plate such as punched metal, like the disk-shaped upper wall (13b). Upper wall (13b)
An annular hanging piece (13d) hanging from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall (13c)
On the inner surface with the annular upright wall (13e) that rises from the outer peripheral edge of
Upper and lower ends of the inner cylinder (11) are hermetically fixed to support the inner cylinder (11).

The bottom wall (13c) is connected to a pressure fluid introduction pipe (15), each of which has an on-off valve (14), and a drain pipe (16).

The casing (13) is preferably fixed on a suitable support (not shown). On the support base, a thick outer cylinder (17) whose inner surface is a hard smooth cylindrical surface, an inner cylinder (11)
It is provided detachably so as to be concentric with.

A flow path for a heating medium such as steam is provided in the outer cylinder (17).
(18) is provided. The flow path (18), the heating medium, and the means for circulating the heating medium through the flow path (18) form a heating means for the outer cylinder (17). The heating means may be a sheathed heater or the like embedded in the outer cylinder (17).

Next, along with the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the procedure for carrying out the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention using this apparatus (the procedure for carrying out the invention according to claims 4 to 6) will be described. .

First, the outer cylinder (17) is taken out of the support table,
A thermoplastic resin belt (19) before completion is inscribed on its inner surface, and then returned to its original position on the support base. The resin belt (19) may be the same as the resin belt (8) described above.

Next, the on-off valve (14) of the drain pipe (16) is closed,
In addition, by opening the on-off valve (14) of the introduction pipe (15), steam as a pressure fluid is introduced into the hermetic chamber (12), and the pressure in the hermetic chamber (12) is increased. 2, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.

Then, the outer surface of the inner cylinder (11) is
(19) and presses the resin belt (19) against the inner surface of the outer cylinder (17), and the heat of the steam reduces the inner cylinder (11).
Is transmitted to the resin belt (19) via the
9) is heated. At this time, a heating medium such as steam is preferably circulated through the flow passage (18) to heat the outer cylinder (17). The heating temperature of the resin belt (19) is the same as that of the resin belt (8) described above.

By maintaining the above-mentioned pressurized and heated state for a required time, the inner surface of the resin belt (19) has the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder (11) and the resin belt (19) has the same shape. On the outside,
The inner surface shape of the outer cylinder (17) is transferred and finished to a smooth surface.

If the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder (11) or the inner surface of the outer cylinder (17) is set as an arbitrary uneven surface, the inner surface or the outer surface of the resin belt (19) is not a smooth surface but the above uneven surface. The surface can be finished to a complementary shape.

[0046]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. According to the first and fourth aspects of the invention,
Either the outer surface of the inner cylinder or the inner surface of the outer cylinder is made hard, and the resin belt before completion is pressed against it with the other elastic while heating, forming the surface of the resin belt Therefore, the perimeter of the resin belt does not get out of order, and there is little danger of thickness fluctuation. Furthermore, even if the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder are slightly eccentric or the clearance between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder is slightly deviated, they can be used when the elastic inner cylinder or the outer cylinder is expanded and contracted and pressed. Absorbed, the resin belt can be pressed uniformly at all times, and the desired smooth surface can be finished with high accuracy.Therefore, unlike the conventional one, there is no need to be concerned with the accuracy of the device, and a simple and inexpensive device can be used. It can be easily implemented.

According to the second and fifth aspects of the present invention, since the inner cylinder or the outer cylinder is expanded and contracted by the pressure fluid introduced into the airtight chamber, the resin belt can be pressed uniformly.
Thus, the surface of the resin belt can be finished to a uniform and high-precision one.

According to the third and sixth aspects of the present invention, since the pressurized fluid is steam, not only can the inner cylinder or the outer cylinder be pressed, but also the resin belt can be heated by the heat of the steam. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a heating means.

According to the seventh, eighth and ninth aspects of the present invention,
It is possible to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus that can efficiently and easily carry out the invention of the method for manufacturing a resin belt.

According to the tenth aspect, the inner surface or the outer surface of the resin belt can be finished to a highly accurate smooth surface.

According to the eleventh aspect, the inner or outer surface of the resin belt can be finished to a desired uneven surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view in central section of a first embodiment of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional front view of a second embodiment of the device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) Inner cylinder (2) Airtight chamber (3) Casing (3a) Outer peripheral wall (3b) Top wall (3c) Bottom wall (3d) Hanging edge (3e) Standing edge (4) Outer cylinder (5) Open / close valve ( 6) Introducing pipe (7) Drain pipe (8) Resin belt (11) Inner cylinder (12) Airtight chamber (13) Casing (13a) Support cylinder (13b) Top wall (13c) Bottom wall (13d) Hanging edge ( 13e) Standing edge (14) On-off valve (15) Inlet pipe (16) Drain pipe (17) Outer cylinder (18) Flow passage (heating means) (19) Resin belt

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Shuichi Hara 1 Kashio-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in the Bridgestone Yokohama Plant (reference) 4F209 AA28 AC03 AF01 AF14 AH12 PA02 PA09 PB01 PC05 PC16 PJ01 PN03 PQ12 4F213 AD05 AG16 AH12 AK01 WA04 WB01 WF01 WK01 WK03

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A thermoplastic resin belt before completion is wrapped around the outer periphery of a hard inner cylinder, and while the resin belt is heated, the elastic outer cylinder disposed on the outer periphery is moved in the centripetal direction. The inner surface of the outer cylinder is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the resin belt, and the inner or outer surface of the resin belt is formed so as to complement the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder or the inner surface of the outer cylinder. Method for manufacturing a resin belt. 2. The resin belt according to claim 1, wherein an airtight chamber is formed outside the outer cylinder, and the outer cylinder is contracted in a centripetal direction by introducing a pressure fluid into the airtight chamber. Production method. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the outer cylinder is contracted in the centripetal direction by introducing steam into the airtight chamber, and the resin belt is heated by the heat of the steam via the outer cylinder. Method of manufacturing resin belt. 4. A thermoplastic resin belt before completion is inscribed on the inner surface of the hard outer cylinder, and while the resin belt is being heated, the elastic inner cylinder disposed inside the belt is radially displaced. The outer surface of the inner cylinder is pressed against the inner surface of the resin belt, and the inner or outer surface of the resin belt is formed so as to complement the outer surface of the inner cylinder or the inner surface of the outer cylinder. Method for manufacturing a resin belt. 5. The resin belt according to claim 4, wherein an airtight chamber is formed inside the inner cylinder, and a pressure fluid is introduced into the airtight chamber to expand the outer cylinder in a radial direction. Production method. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the inner cylinder is radially expanded by introducing steam into the airtight chamber, and the resin belt is heated by the heat of the steam via the inner cylinder. Method of manufacturing resin belt. 7. An inner cylinder having a rigid outer peripheral surface around which a thermoplastic resin belt is wound, and an inner surface of an annular airtight chamber formed so as to surround the inner cylinder, and an outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder. An apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt, comprising: an outer cylinder having elasticity facing a surface; and means for introducing a pressure fluid into the airtight chamber. 8. An outer cylinder having a hard inner surface to which a thermoplastic resin belt is inscribed, surrounding an outer periphery of an airtight chamber formed at a central portion of the outer cylinder, and facing the inner surface of the outer cylinder. An apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt, comprising: an elastic inner cylinder provided as described above; and means for introducing a pressurized fluid into the airtight chamber. 9. A heating means for heating a resin belt is provided on at least one of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.
Or the apparatus for producing a resin belt according to item 8. 10. The apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt according to claim 7, wherein an inner surface of the outer cylinder or an outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder has a mirror surface. 11. The apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt according to claim 7, wherein the inner surface of the outer cylinder or the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder has minute uneven surfaces.